Most Likely Types of Nerve Damage from Car Accidents

One of the least talked about injuries after a car accident is nerve damage. Many people do not know or realize that they can suffer nerve damage after being in a collision, as this type of injury is not noticeable or able to be seen.

However, nerve damage is very common, painful, and requires in-depth medical treatment and physical therapy for years after the car accident. As a result, individuals’ medical bills often pile up, they lose out on needed income, and they may even need to relearn how to do simple tasks depending on how severe their nerve damage is.

What are the symptoms of nerve damage?

The symptoms of nerve damage can vary from person to person. One person may have damage to the same type of nerves in the same location as you but have different symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms that people experience with nerve damage include:

• Sweating a lot or no sweating at all
• Mouth and eye dryness
• Bladder and bowel issues
• Sexual dysfunction
• Feeling lightheaded
• Inability to know that you are experiencing life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks
• Feeling weak
• Paralysis
• Muscle twitching
• Severe and chronic pain
• Tingling, burning, and numbing feelings

Individuals who have nerve damage often experience multiple symptoms at once. For example, they may have pain, numbness, and weakness in their arms and legs at the same time.

Five of the most common nerve injuries from car accidents

Regardless of if you are involved in a minor or major car accident, you are still at risk of suffering nerve damage. A brief sideswipe accident has the potential to cause the same amount of nerve damage as a head-on collision. Here are five of the most common types of injuries caused by nerve damage from car accidents:

1. Pinched nerve: Pinched nerves emerge when nerves become squeezed, compressed, and injured. They can also occur when there is intense pressure on the bones, tendons, and muscles near the nerves. These types of injuries are found anywhere in the body and may cause radiating pain from one area to another. While some people may heal from pinched nerves within a few weeks or months, surgery and physical therapy may be required. If you believe that you may have a pinched nerve, it is important that you seek medical treatment as soon as possible to prevent more permanent and severe damage to your nerves.
2. Whiplash: Whiplash is a common neck injury that individuals are frequently diagnosed with after being involved in a rear-end collision. It can also affect the shoulders and upper back. This type of injury arises when the neck moves back and forth quickly and suddenly, damaging the nerves. People who are diagnosed with whiplash usually need pain medicine, physical therapy, and a specific medical treatment plan tailored to them. A full recovery may take a few weeks or months.
3. Radiculopathy: Radiculopathy occurs when a person’s intervertebral discs become inflamed or damaged. This condition can also emerge when the nerve root in the spine becomes pinched or squeezed. Individuals frequently need pain medication, physical therapy, and even steroids to treat their radiculopathy.
4. Neurotmesis: Neurotmesis is a very serious type of injury that occurs when “the nerve is completely divided” or severed. As a result, individuals often become paralyzed, suffer from muscle atrophy, and have a diminished quality of life. When a person is diagnosed with neurotmesis, they almost always need surgery, and they typically never make a full recovery.
5. Neuropraxia: When individuals experience a peripheral nerve injury, Neuropraxia is the result. Peripheral nerves are responsible for carrying “electrical signals from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body.” Therefore, if these nerves are injured, your brain and spinal cord cannot communicate with your other body parts, causing you to lose certain functions. These injuries are very common after a car accident and usually heal on their own within a few weeks.

How does a Little Rock car accident cause nerve damage?

During a car accident, one vehicle may slam or collide into another vehicle, causing injuries to a person’s neck, head, back, or other body parts. When this happens, the person’s nerves are at risk of stretching and tearing, which can temporarily or permanently damage them. It is also not uncommon for car accident victims to suffer cuts, punctures, and lacerations, leading to severed and divided nerves. In addition, when involved in a car accident, you can become crushed or stuck between objects, such as the steering wheel or dashboard, which compresses and squeezes your nerves.

Nerve damage from a car accident can be challenging to pinpoint, diagnose, and treat. However, if you think that you may be suffering from nerve damage, it is critical that you visit a doctor right away to prevent further damage or complications from occurring. After you begin getting the proper medical treatment you need, the Little Rock car accident attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC, are ready and available to help you get the compensation you deserve for your injuries and other losses from the accident. Our team knows the ins and outs of the legal process, and we have what it takes to stand up and protect your rights. Call our office or submit our contact form to schedule your case evaluation and we will help you pursue the legal options that have your best interests in mind.

Meta: Did you suffer nerve damage from a car accident? Call us in Little Rock for a free consultation.

One of the least talked about injuries after a car accident is nerve damage. Many people do not know or realize that they can suffer nerve damage after being in a collision, as this type of injury is not noticeable or able to be seen.

However, nerve damage is very common, painful, and requires in-depth medical treatment and physical therapy for years after the car accident. As a result, individuals’ medical bills often pile up, they lose out on needed income, and they may even need to relearn how to do simple tasks depending on how severe their nerve damage is.

What are the symptoms of nerve damage?

The symptoms of nerve damage can vary from person to person. One person may have damage to the same type of nerves in the same location as you but have different symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms that people experience with nerve damage include:

• Sweating a lot or no sweating at all
• Mouth and eye dryness
• Bladder and bowel issues
• Sexual dysfunction
• Feeling lightheaded
• Inability to know that you are experiencing life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks
• Feeling weak
• Paralysis
• Muscle twitching
• Severe and chronic pain
• Tingling, burning, and numbing feelings

Individuals who have nerve damage often experience multiple symptoms at once. For example, they may have pain, numbness, and weakness in their arms and legs at the same time.

Five of the most common nerve injuries from car accidents

Regardless of if you are involved in a minor or major car accident, you are still at risk of suffering nerve damage. A brief sideswipe accident has the potential to cause the same amount of nerve damage as a head-on collision. Here are five of the most common types of injuries caused by nerve damage from car accidents:

1. Pinched nerve: Pinched nerves emerge when nerves become squeezed, compressed, and injured. They can also occur when there is intense pressure on the bones, tendons, and muscles near the nerves. These types of injuries are found anywhere in the body and may cause radiating pain from one area to another. While some people may heal from pinched nerves within a few weeks or months, surgery and physical therapy may be required. If you believe that you may have a pinched nerve, it is important that you seek medical treatment as soon as possible to prevent more permanent and severe damage to your nerves.
2. Whiplash: Whiplash is a common neck injury that individuals are frequently diagnosed with after being involved in a rear-end collision. It can also affect the shoulders and upper back. This type of injury arises when the neck moves back and forth quickly and suddenly, damaging the nerves. People who are diagnosed with whiplash usually need pain medicine, physical therapy, and a specific medical treatment plan tailored to them. A full recovery may take a few weeks or months.
3. Radiculopathy: Radiculopathy occurs when a person’s intervertebral discs become inflamed or damaged. This condition can also emerge when the nerve root in the spine becomes pinched or squeezed. Individuals frequently need pain medication, physical therapy, and even steroids to treat their radiculopathy.
4. Neurotmesis: Neurotmesis is a very serious type of injury that occurs when “the nerve is completely divided” or severed. As a result, individuals often become paralyzed, suffer from muscle atrophy, and have a diminished quality of life. When a person is diagnosed with neurotmesis, they almost always need surgery, and they typically never make a full recovery.
5. Neuropraxia: When individuals experience a peripheral nerve injury, Neuropraxia is the result. Peripheral nerves are responsible for carrying “electrical signals from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body.” Therefore, if these nerves are injured, your brain and spinal cord cannot communicate with your other body parts, causing you to lose certain functions. These injuries are very common after a car accident and usually heal on their own within a few weeks.

How does a Little Rock car accident cause nerve damage?

During a car accident, one vehicle may slam or collide into another vehicle, causing injuries to a person’s neck, head, back, or other body parts. When this happens, the person’s nerves are at risk of stretching and tearing, which can temporarily or permanently damage them. It is also not uncommon for car accident victims to suffer cuts, punctures, and lacerations, leading to severed and divided nerves. In addition, when involved in a car accident, you can become crushed or stuck between objects, such as the steering wheel or dashboard, which compresses and squeezes your nerves.

Nerve damage from a car accident can be challenging to pinpoint, diagnose, and treat. However, if you think that you may be suffering from nerve damage, it is critical that you visit a doctor right away to prevent further damage or complications from occurring. After you begin getting the proper medical treatment you need, the Little Rock car accident attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC, are ready and available to help you get the compensation you deserve for your injuries and other losses from the accident. Our team knows the ins and outs of the legal process, and we have what it takes to stand up and protect your rights. Call our office or submit our contact form to schedule your case evaluation and we will help you pursue the legal options that have your best interests in mind.